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To preserve vitamins and nutrients, the optimal method of harvesting vegetables is freezing. In this case, all the benefits and nutrients are preserved as much as possible. To freeze beets for the winter in the freezer - this means cooking a root vegetable for the entire cold period for use in a variety of dishes.
Is it possible to freeze beets for the winter
In order to have access to the benefits of the product in winter, freezing is the best option. You can freeze grated beets for the winter or whole root crops. Another advantage in freezing is the significant time savings. When harvesting with the help of conservation, the hostess can spend a huge amount of time on heat treatment, preparing the beets for storage.
If you save the vegetable without any heat treatment, but simply lay out to the cellar or basement, then over time the crop will undergo wilting and lose its appearance.
It is important to select the right product for freezing. It should be a healthy vegetable, free from mold, rot, and external damage. You can freeze beets for the winter so that you have access to vitamins all year round.
In what containers is it better to freeze beets
For perfect preservation, it will be optimal to freeze the beets in the freezer in portioned containers. Then you don't have to freeze and thaw several times. vegetables... This negatively affects the safety of nutrients. Therefore, a plastic container for freezing is considered optimal, as well as a plastic bag, which will hold exactly one portion for one use.
How best to freeze beets: boiled or raw
How best to freeze beets in the freezer for the winter depends on what they are supposed to be used for. For example, for borsch, it is better to harvest the root vegetable grated, raw, and for vinaigrette - immediately diced and boiled.
If there is no exact data on how the root crop will be used, then it is optimal to freeze it whole and raw. You can also freeze boiled beets, and then pull them out in winter and quickly chop them as needed for a salad or other culinary masterpiece. In any case, it’s faster than preserving a vegetable.
How to freeze raw beets
There are several ways to freeze raw food. But in any case, you first need to peel and wash the root crop. Only then can you choose how to freeze the raw vegetable. Freezing boiled beets for the winter includes a large number of recipes.
How to freeze sliced beets at home for the winter
For freezing in the form of straws, it is necessary to wash, peel the root crop. Then it should be cut into thin strips. This can be done using a knife, as well as a special attachment in a food processor. This will significantly save the hostess' time and effort.
After that, all the straws must be placed in a bag with a special lock and as much air as possible released. In order not to confuse the workpieces in winter, it is recommended to write on the package "raw beets", as well as to put the exact date of packing and freezing.
Is it possible to freeze whole beets
You can freeze raw and boiled beets in the freezer as well. But in this case, it is recommended not to clean the product, not to cut the tops and tails, so the vegetable will be better preserved and will not waste its nutrients.
If you pull out such a root vegetable in winter and boil it in an acidified liquid, then the color will remain, and you can also give the shape of the slicing that the dish suggests. It can be completely frozen in the event that the hostess does not know exactly where it can be determined later.
Is it possible to freeze grated beets for the winter
Many housewives prefer to harvest the grated root crop right away. This is very convenient, especially for borscht. At the same time, it is important to observe the proportions and freeze exactly as much vegetable in one bag as is used at a time. Most housewives, when freezing, rub the workpiece. If the crop is large, you can use a food processor to freeze it. This technique will allow you to grate a large amount of root vegetables while keeping your kitchen workspace clean. When grinding the root crop through a grater, numerous splashes may occur.
In order not to stain your hands in a bright beetroot color, it is better to grind the vegetable with disposable or medical gloves. It is also recommended to cover all cutlery where splashes can get when rubbing. In this case, you do not have to wash the kitchen after harvesting, and do general cleaning.
Is it possible to freeze boiled beets
For freezing, not only fresh root vegetables are used, but also boiled ones. This is very convenient if the vegetable is going to be used in the preparation of salads, vinaigrettes, as well as New Year's herring under a fur coat. You can freeze boiled beets if you do not want to mess around for a long time to prepare a dish. But you can use such a preparation only in those dishes where the product goes boiled and only in the cut in which the vegetable was prepared. It is often more profitable to freeze the whole boiled root vegetable so that it can then be chopped as needed.
Freeze in the form of puree
First of all, the root crop must be boiled. So that it does not lose its color, do not cut off the rhizomes, as well as the tops. Only after boiling, the product can be peeled and cut. This is the best option for those who do not want to mess around separately just before preparing a meal. A cooled boiled vegetable differs in that it is much easier to peel.
It is better to save the boiled vegetable in the form of mashed potatoes for those families who have children. Freezing red beets is convenient for preparing children's vegetable dishes. Often such a dish, especially with the addition of garlic, is to the liking of adults. To prepare mashed potatoes, you need to boil the root vegetable, and then peel it. Then you need a blender to make mashed potatoes.
After the whole vegetable has been processed into puree, it must be divided into bags and the date of packaging must be signed. The next step is to put it in the freezer.
Is it possible to freeze whole boiled beets
If desired, freeze the boiled vegetable and whole. To do this, you need to follow a simple algorithm of actions:
- Select healthy roots.
- Wash them thoroughly with a brush.
- Boil in acidified water.
- After checking the readiness to cool the root vegetable.
- Arrange in bags for freezing.
- Sign and place in the freezer.
In winter, simply take it out of the fridge, defrost it and cut it at will for the finished dish.
Can boiled beets be frozen for vinaigrette
The preservation of the product for the vinaigrette differs only in how it is cut. All other stages of the preparation are preserved in the same form: wash, boil, cool, and then freeze.For vinaigrette, the vegetable must be cut into cubes before freezing.
Is it possible to freeze grated boiled beets
Thus, the preparation for some salads is frozen. The cooking process is the same, it starts with washing. Then the root vegetable is boiled, although you can bake it whole in the oven. After cooking, the vegetable should be cooled and peeled. Only then the root crop is rubbed on a large or medium grater, depending on the preferences of the hostess.
How to properly defrost beets
Defrosting methods depend on the type in which it was frozen:
- Boiled option... The product must be thawed at room temperature, immediately before adding to the dish or before use. The plus section of the refrigerator is also perfect for defrosting.
- Raw look... If the product further requires heat treatment, then it must be boiled without defrosting. This is because frozen food cooks much faster. Therefore, it is better to cook a whole raw frozen workpiece immediately after the freezer, without subjecting it to the defrosting process. But to preserve the color, you still need to add citric acid or acetic acid to the water.
But in any case, the product should not be thawed several times, since this way it loses its valuable nutrients. That is why it must be frozen in portions in order to use everything that is defrosted at one time.
Terms and rules for storing frozen beets
According to the rules, the shelf life of frozen beets is 8 months. This means that with a sufficient size of the freezer, the family is supplied with vitamins until the next year, for the entire cold period. At the same time, it is important that the product is packaged in portions and does not have to be thawed. Then 90% of all nutrients will be saved. Freezing beets in the freezer will help preserve all their nutritional value and extend their shelf life. The best option would be to keep it in a quick freezer. In this case, the camera should be turned on a couple of hours before the bags with the blank are placed there. Then the effect will be much more noticeable.
Conclusion
You can freeze beets for the winter in the freezer in any form. It all depends on the preferences of the hostess and on how the product will be used in winter. In any case, initially you need to take healthy, small roots, with tops, roots. It is not recommended to take a product with a lot of hairs - it is considered too harsh. After freezing, it should be remembered that in order to preserve the nutrients, it is necessary to properly defrost the product and use strictly everything that is thawed.
